A World In Shatters
by Knightlark
Summary: Percy Jackson's world is in shatters. Everyone he has ever known or loved is gone. He is trapped in Tartarus, forced into a terrible game of survival. All he wanted was to get back to the surface, but he never planned on his personal hell being his sanctuary. And when some very powerful strangers stumble across him in Tartarus, he may get the chance to fix his screwed up life.
1. Chapter 1

**Sigh... I probably shouldn't be starting a new story, but, I just had to write it. **

**Disclaimer: I own PJO! Kidding, I own TKC. JK. But seriously, I only own the plot. So far... MWAHAHA!**

A World In Shatters

Chapter One- Percy

Twelve Months in Tartarus

Percy stared at Riptide's Celestial Bronze blade gleaming in the firelight and thought about the Great Prophecy- again.

_Seven Half-Bloods shall answer the call._

Only one survived.

_To storm or fire the world must fall._

The world fell to storm.

_An oath to keep with a final breath._

A promise killed Nico.

_As foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._

Where she died.

_Bad Percy, _he chided himself, _don't think about her._

Too late. He sighed, and pulled out her knife. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep her out of his mind for long. Her short blade hung at his side, her laptop was in his pack, and he wore her camp necklace, along with his friends', right next to his. A lump grew in his throat. Percy dropped his head in his hands. If she were here, he might not have gone insane- well, not as insane. He had watched all of them die. Everyone. Gaea showed him in his dreams. Nico was the first- he was killed getting the others to Epirus. Percy blamed himself for that- _an oath to keep with a final breath-_ he made Nico promise. Next was- next was- was Annabeth.

*flashback*

They had been so close to the exit- so close! But he wasn't paying attention. By some miracle, the two of them had defeated Gaea's army at the Tartarus side of the Doors. They each took a giant door, Percy on the left and Annabeth on the right. The goal was to get their momentum going, then jump through before the doors closed.

Slowly the huge gates began to swing shut, until Percy and Annabeth weren't needed to push them. He was closest to the exit.

"Grab my hand, Percy!" Piper had shouted. Her hand was stretched so far out that Jason had to hold the other to keep her from falling in. Just about to grab it, he heard a gasp from behind him. Percy had whipped around to find a terrible creature melting from the shadows. The thing looked like a horrifying rendition of a hellhound. Annabeth had whipped out her knife, but the creature pounced on her before either of them could move. The creature grabbed her shoulder in its huge maw, and then shook her like she was a ragdoll. She tried to fight it off with her knife, without much luck. Percy's stomach gave a sickening jolt as he ran towards it.

"Hey!" he screamed, waving his arms madly, "Over here, Ugly!" It worked. The thing dropped Annabeth, and bounded over to Percy instead. He ducked and parried; dodged and rolled. He was vaguely aware of his friends attacking it with fire and lightning and arrows. After what seemed an eternity, the thing finally died.

Percy ran to where she had fallen. "Oh gods, Annabeth," he choked. It had mauled her shoulder; Percy could see gleaming bone through the ravaged flesh. Even if her had ambrosia or nectar, this was beyond its healing power.

"Percy!" Jason yelled, "Come on!" Percy bit his lip.

"I can't leave her!" he shouted back.

"_Percy._" He looked down to see Annabeth struggling to talk.

"Leave me." Tears formed in his eyes. "Not again, Annabeth, I'm never leaving you again."

She swallowed and licked her lips. "Don't… don't be stupid. I'm going to die. Get out of here."

"I'm staying with you. 'As long as we're together', remember?" The doors clanged shut. Annabeth's breathing became heavier and more labored.

"I'm scared," she whispered as he held her hand. Percy stroked her golden curls with the other.

"You'll be okay," whispered Percy sadly. He smiled a sad little smile. "You'll get into Elysium. I know it." There was a faint smile on her lips. She locked eyes with him. "Percy, I love you." A tear fell.

"I love you too, Annabeth," his voice was gravelly. She placed a hand on his cheek. Percy placed his hand, too, holding it there. Lightly, he brushed his lips against hers. He felt her smile against his mouth, and then she went limp.

*end flashback*

Percy growled, and threw her knife at the ground. It stood quivering, hilt up, next to the fire.

Fire.

Leo died next. One night in Percy's dreams, he saw Jason, Piper, and Leo being cornered into a cliff by Gaea's evil minions.

*yet another flashback*

"Go!" Leo screamed at his friends.

"No. We're not leaving you like we left Percy," came Jason's stubborn reply.

"Leo," begged Piper sadly, "don't do this."

"Don't Leo," Percy had whispered sadly. His friend stiffened like he'd been shocked by Thalia. He looked around wildly.

"Percy?" he asked, quietly at first.

"Percy?" he asked a little louder.

"PERCY!" he shouted, "Where are you?"

"Leo," a scared Piper asked in a shaky voice, "what are you talking about?" He faltered.

"You mean, you can't hear him?"

"They can't hear me," Percy realized.

Leo spun madly. "C'mon guys, stop messing with me. You had to hear him that time."

Piper shook her head. Jason, who had been guarding them, shouted out, "Guys! We're running out of time! We have to figure a way out of here!" Leo looked at Jason pleadingly. C'mon, man. Please tell me you can hear Percy too." Jason shook his head.

"Leo, you're hearing things. You've gone too long without sleep. We need to figure out how to get out of here. ALL of us." Now it was Leo's turn to shake his head.

"There's only one way you guys are getting out of here. You can't carry all of us, Jason. Take Piper and fly out of here."

"Leo, don't," Percy commanded, anger making his voice shake. Leo smiled sadly.

"See you on the other side, Perce. We'll throw wicked parties in the Underworld." The realization hit him. Horrified, he was about to scream, "But I'm not dead, Leo!" But the Argo II's captain ran headlong into the monsters, setting himself aflame.

"FLAME ON!" were Leo's last words.

*end flashback*

Percy grabbed his head. NO. He did _not _want to relive this. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

**Voila! Chapter One complete! If you guys love me you'll send me reviews and virtual cookies... which you probably don't since I killed off pretty much EVERYONE. Till next chapter, **

**Andi**


	2. Chapter 2- I Hate Greeks!

Chapter Two

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"Come one out so I can kill y- I mean, have a nice chat, dearie!"

The snake lady was getting on my last nerve. Here I was, minding my own bloody business in the Brooklyn House, trying to get some sleep, but _nooo_, I had be kept up half the night by bloody Greeks! It wasn't bad enough that they had to take over the world, but now they were messing with my sleep schedule! _That _was crossing the line!

The snake lady below my window started wailing like a dying cat.

"SHUT UP!" I finally screamed. It worked… for about twelve seconds. And then she started her wailing again. That was it. In frustration, I grabbed a pillow off my bed, stormed over to the balcony, and threw it at the reptilian monster. Why didn't I simply _ha-di_ it? Because I didn't think of it, that's why. Either way, it worked. The wailing ceased.

I sighed with relief, and then flopped facedown on my pristine white blankets. Halfway asleep, I realized that I had thrown my special headrest at her. Crap.

I felt my soul leave my body, and looked down to see myself as a chicken, otherwise known as a _ba. _Not of my own accord, I began moving through my floor.

"No!" I begged, "All I want is some sleep!" Unfortunately, my dream didn't listen. I was pulled deep into the Duat, and was going down farther than I had ever been before. My _ba _zoomed down so fast that if I had been solid I would have burst from the pressure. Everything gradually got darker, more depressing, and more sinister.

I was beginning to think it would never end when my flight jerked to a halt so quickly I almost let out a squawk [Ha ha, Carter. I get it. Chicken Girl almost squawked. Shut up.]. It was really dark here, darker than any of the other levels of the Duat. It almost felt like the darkness was trying to strangle me. Even as a holographic chicken, it was freezing. One thing was for sure. This place definitely did _not _feel friendly, or even… Egyptian. The energy emanating from this felt not as ancient, but still extremely powerful. I knew this power signature- it was the bloody Greeks again! Why did they have a vendetta against my sleep? _Why?_

I tried to will myself back, but it wasn't working. This night kept getting better and better. I spun around in circles. Where in the name of Ra was I? And then I saw it- a small flicker of light on the otherwise pitch-black background.

Now that I wasn't trying to escape, I found that I could actually control which direction my body (or soul, chicken, whatever you want to call it) was going, as opposed to when I was randomly floating before. I started to float over to the light, but hesitated. Despite what my idiotic brother might tell you, I _do _have rational thoughts ever now and then.

_Curiosity killed the chicken, Sadie, _I thought to myself. At that moment my resident parasite god, Isis, decided to pop in.

_You've got it wrong, _she told me, _curiosity killed the _cat, _not the chicken. And besides, cats are overly suspicious. Wouldn't curiosity be more likely to kill a dog? But curiosity killed the dog doesn't have the same ring to it…_Isis mused. _But anyway, follow the light, Sadie._

_Okay…?_

I decided to ask her where I was before she left.

_Hell,_ came her reply. Well, that wasn't very comforting. I sighed, and made my way to the flickering light.

It took a while for me to reach the light. By the time I did, it had turned from a small pinpoint to a roaring campfire. A guy a little older than Carter was huddled next to it. The boy had been cute once- no, he had obviously been drop-dead _gorgeous._ But you could tell that that had been a long time ago. Now, well, he looked like someone had _ha-di_'d his grandmother. A frown cut across his face. His dark hair was matted with dirt and blood almost all the way to his shoulders. His skin looked gray and dirty. His green eyes held the fractured and maniacal stare of someone who had been broken. Facing him was a small dark statue no taller than a pencil. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it. A set of cards were in between Psycho Boy and the statue.

"You're cheating, Hades!" Psycho Boy exclaimed so suddenly and loudly that I flinched. The statue didn't move. I wasn't a mythology nerd like Carter [OW! That hurt!] but I was pretty sure Hades was a Greek death god. At least, before the bloody goddess Gaea took over.

"Don't look at me like you did nothing wrong! You're a dirty rotten cheater and you know it!" The boy continued to accuse the statue (who I assumed was supposed to be Hades). When it still didn't move, I began to think Psycho Boy wasn't all that sane in the brain.

"I need a better partner at Mythomagic," he mumbled. Oh, yes. Mythomagic. A few of the younger kids liked to play that card game after curfew and were _supposed _to be asleep. But those kids were nine! Why was an eighteen-year-old playing it?

_Because he's lonely, Sadie,_ Isis informed me sadly.

_Alright. You showed me Lonely Psycho Boy playing Mythomagic with a toy statue. Can I go back to my warm, comfy bed now? _ I was starting to get really cold (not to mention annoyed) down here.

_Remember to show mercy. You'll be returned to your body in the morning, _were the last words she said. I growled. I still couldn't escape, so until morning I watched a lonely psycho play a bloody card game with a little figurine of a Greek death god in Greek territory. Have I mentioned that I hate Greeks?

**A/N Hey guys! I don't have time to say HAI to all the nice reviewers this chapter, (I'm being pushed off the computer as we speak... Or I write... Whatever. You know what I mean. I'll try to keep this short. First, I'm mentally kicking myself for killing all my favorite PJO couples and characters. But it had to be done! *sob* Two: I love writing a sleep-deprived Sadie! 3: I don't want this story to be all drama- don't get me wrong, it will be dramatic, but I want some... What's it called? Humoric tension? No, that's not right... But you know what I mean. No? Okay... 4: I'll probably update once a week. Well, I'll try to. 5: I was listening to Innocent by Taylor Swift, & thought it was PERFECT for this story! Well, that's my opinion. Laters.-Andi **


	3. Chapter 4- The REAl Chapter 3

**22 reviews. 3 chapters. NO. FREAKING. WAY. You guys are officially awesome! Well, you were before, but now it's official. Every time I look at the reviews, I get this big goofy smile on my face and walk around the house looking like an idiot. I forgot to say this in the other chapters, and I haven't gotten any yet for this story (amazingly), but NO FLAMES! You flame, and I will use them to roast marshmallows for the nice reviewers. And you won't get any! So there. Like I just said, I am happy to say that I haven't received any flames for this story! (A miracle, considering everyone's DEAD.)**

**Drako- I can't say anything without ruining the story (other than the fact of saying they DIED), but all info on PJO characters shall be revealed in time. **

** Without further ado, here's the REAL chapter 3. **

**Disclaimer: I don't on PJO, blah blah blah, I don't own TKC, blah blah blah, and I didn't invent Greek/Egyptian mythology. **

**OH WAIT! This chapter contains spoilers for the Son of Sobek. Not major plot spoilers, but still. Read at your own risk.**

Chapter 3

Percy- One Week After Annabeth Died

Percy, stricken with grief, stumbled around blindly. He knew Gaea had taken over, but that's not why he was on his knees, beating the ground. The death of his friends had destroyed him. If only his friends could see the great Percy Jackson now. Gaea killed _everyone_. Not directly, but every single death led back to her. Even Clarisse and Thalia. She showed him, because she knew what would hit him the hardest. What would shatter him. He bent his head to the ground.

_Is this what you wanted?!_ He screamed silently in his mind. _You wanted me broken? Well, I am! Are you happy? _

It was might have been his imagination, but he heard Gaea chuckle.

_Oh, little hero, _she said mockingly, _I wish you had escaped Tartarus when you had the chance. You would have fallen into my grasp, and I would have had such fun watching my minions hunt you down and torture you. Alas, you chose to stay with that insufferable daughter of Athena. Breaking your mind was almost as entertaining, little hero. _

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Percy screeched loudly. He didn't care. Let the monsters come. Let them kill him. The son of Poseidon began to bang his forehead on the hard ground in front of him. She chuckled agian.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head," He gritted out between the _thumps. _Then he paused. Maybe it was the Fates, or just a coincidence, but Percy's gaze happened to glance on the hand a certain magician had drawn a hieroplyph on. He sat up, completely ignoring the now steady stream of blood flowing from the several wounds on his forehand. Cradling that hand like he would an injured animal, Percy stared at it with wide eyes. He didn't allow himself to hope, but that little spark struck anyway. _This better work_, he thought. _Carter, I need your help. _

X

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Breakfast at the Brooklyn House is…_interesting_, to say the least. That morning, little Shelby had decided to take her magic crayons to the table. Somehow (don't ask me), they had come to life and were terrorizing Felix's penguins (who he insisted ate meals with us) with multicolored sparkles. Poor Felix looked devastated. Sitting next to him, Khufu was eating his new favorite food- mashed potatoes. Yes, the baboon was eating mashed potatoes for breakfast. Walt (/Anubis) was tossing bits of bacon to Philip of Macedonia, our resident friendly albino alligator. He tossed some to Fred, the baby crocodile Percy and I rescued, as well.

As for Sadie, well, she wasn't down yet. I know that she loves her beauty sleep, but not enough to miss breakfast. Speak of the devil [yes, Sadie, I really said that], my sister came thundering down the stairs. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, and there was a murderous glare on her face- which meant my sister was seriously sleep-deprived. Oh joy.

"I hate Greeks!" she practically growled.

Walt raised his hand. "Um, _why?_" I guess being Sadie's boyfriend has one perk- a high fear tolerance. [No, Sadie, that wasn't a compliment.] Having a thousand-year-old god inhabiting his body might have had something to do with it, too.

"I couldn't sleep."

"What does that have to do with Gr-"

"Never mind that," I quickly interrupted, before they could get going. "Now that we're all here," (cue glare at Sadie) "Uncle Amos wants some of us to go to the First Nome for a couple days. Representatives are coming from all the nomes to discuss the Greek problem."

"So who's going?" Zia asked.

"I was thinking you, me, Sadie, and Walt. If that's okay with you. I mean, you don't have to go if you don't want to-" The rest of it came out something like, _itfflyfnwiffit _because Zia clamped my lips together. She smiled.

"Of course I want to go."

Almost immediately, Shelby raised her hand. "I wanna go too!" she hollered.

NO! I almost shouted, but didn't. _Think, Carter. Think. You need a good excuse. _

"Uhhh…"

Luckily, Zia saved me. She crouched next to the little girl and said, "But we need you here to protect the house from invaders. What if- uh, magic penguins decide to attack? You need to hold down the fort."

"Pfft, magic penguins are no match for mine!" Felix.

That's why you're staying here, too."

"NO!"

I left Zia to calm the younger kids, and pulled Cleo aside.

"Do you think you can take charge while we're gone?"

Poor Cleo seemed to have a stroke, but she nodded and gulped.

"Um, sure?" I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Cleo."

Back at the table, Sadie asked irritably, "When do we board the Flying Griffin Taxi?" In case you couldn't tell, she was still a little miffed about the Greeks and her sleeping patterns. (At the time I still didn't understand why.)

"After breakfast."

I have to admit… we never actually reached the First Nome. And it was kinda my fault. Our Flying Griffin Taxi through the Duat took a slight detour, with a small pitstop at Hell. Nothing unusual. The reason why, though, was not. All it took was one phrase, spoken softly in my mind: _Carter, I need your help. _

**So, not my best chapter, nor the longest. Hope you guys forgive me... **

**OH! Almost forgot. Check out my friend the-7-are-chosen's story Valdez and the Kanes! **

**QUESTION! Should I keep it limited to one person's view per chapter, like I have been, or do several, like I did this chapter? **

**See that button on the bottom of the screen? It's called a review button. Click it, and the world goes BOOM. Kidding. But seriously, press the button and review. I don't care if it simply says update. (If you could put suggestions though, that would be awesome!) **


	4. Chapter 5

**I'm baaack! With my new friend, Chapter 4! Thanks to all the nice people who reviewed! I think that's the most I've ever had on one chapter. YAY! I've had two people tell me to keep it limited to one POV, and two tell me to do several. Since most of this story is written in one POV (with a few exceptions), I've decided to keep it at one. Have you guys seen the new House of Hades cover?! Gahh! Can't wait for it to come out! But enough chitchat. Here's Chapter 4!**

**Me: Nico. Say the disclaimer. **

**Nico: No. You killed me off.**

**Me: Pwease?**

**Nico: No.**

**Me: PWEEASE!**

**Nico: Still no. **

**Me: *puppy eyes***

**Nico: *rolls eyes* Fine. Andi does not own me or my books. Same goes for the Kane Chronicles. Got it? Good. **

Chapter 4

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Yes, yes, quite dramatic. All we saw was my dear brother stiffening and falling _half out of the boat_. Zia had to haul him back inside by the scruff of his shirt.

"FREEAAK!" shrieked the griffin. Maybe he felt the reed boat's balance shift precariously. Or maybe he just saw the flock of larger-than-normal turkeys squawking below us. I didn't know why they were in the Duat, and, frankly, I didn't want to.

"Percy," Carter murmured. What?

"Change course, Freak!" he shouted to our feathery chauffeur. The griffin changed direction so suddenly I found myself clinging to Walt to avoid being pitched out of the boat. (I didn't mind at all.)

"What are we doing, Carter?" Walt demanded, "Where are we going?"

"I have no idea!" he replied. Great. Absolutely wonderful.

Zia wondered aloud, "How does the griffin know where to go?"

Carter shrugged. "Beats me."

Seconds later, we reached our mystery destination- the cold place from my dream. I almost groaned aloud. Not this place again! In person, this place unnerved me even more. Looking at the other's faces, I could tell it disturbed them as well.

"Are we in the right place?" Walt asked uneasily, "I don't like it here."

"Yeah," my brother and I answered at the same time, "this is the right place." Isis had shown me this place for a reason. Mind you, I didn't know what that purpose was, but whatever we came down here for was important. Nothing else would have allowed Isis to come down from the heavens after the gods had retreated.

Quickly, I scrambled out of the boat and began moving in some random direction. I assumed Isis was guiding me, because every time I tried to head in the direction the light was last night I just ended up walking this way again.

"_Isis!"_ I mentally shouted, _"We're going the wrong way!_"

She just laughed.

"Sadie!" Walt called after me, "Get back here!" Needless to say, I ignored him.

Maybe I was really slow as a _ba_, or maybe this new destination wasn't as far. Whatever the case was, I was glad. Like I said earlier, I was bloody _tired._ Much too tired to walk further than I had to, even if it _was_ extremelyimportant.

My eyes refused to adjust to the darkness! I've heard the expression, "walking in blind", but this was just _too_ literal for me! Along with the uneven ground, I knew I was bound to trip sometime.

_A little help here?_ I grumbled.

Nothing. I sighed. Unable to see, I stumbled right over something, like I knew I would. Before I could hit the ground, I found myself shoved against a rock-hard body with a glowing bronze sword at my neck.

It was bloody Psycho Boy!

"You're the bloke responsible for the disturbance in my sleep schedule!" **(A/N a disturbance in the Force…sorry. Back to the story.)** I shouted at him. He blinked.

"What?"

I huffed. "Just let me go so I can yell at you properly."

"Nope. Not a chance." Right now his voice wasn't as insane or crazy as it was last night, but much more dangerous and menacing. That didn't exactly make me feel better.

"Let me go, Psycho Boy!" Oops. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to shout at a deranged lunatic holding a sharp object to my head. I flinched, fully expecting that glowing sword to slit through my pretty little throat that I preferred _intact_.

_There's your happy thought for the day, Sadie,_ I thought to myself.

Much to my surprise, Psycho Boy didn't kill me. Instead, he threw back his head and laughed. It was rusty, like he hadn't laughed in a while. To be fair, I wouldn't laugh much either if I had been trapped down here for who-knows-how-long.

"Psycho Boy, " he chortled, "can't say I've been called that before. Arrogant. Annoying, upstart, crazy," he paused, "but that's new."

His muscled arms tensed moments before a new voice ordered coldly, "Let her go." Walt. Or Anubis, since that's who they resembled more in the Duat. He stepped into the firelight.

"Let her go or I swear to all the gods I'll kill you."

My captor barked a short, cold laugh.

"Kid, I've fought things bigger and badder than you before breakfast. Find a new threat."

"How 'bout a slow, painful, fiery death?" That was Zia, a fireball in her hand and ready to be thrown.

"You'll find I don't burn easy."

"Yeah?" the fire elementalist challenged, "let's find out."

With the boy distracted, I tried inching my hand towards the wand hanging on my belt. About two inches from it, he grabbed my hand and twisted it painfully behind my back while steadily holding his sword against my jugular.

_You and I shall have _words _about this when I get free, _I thought. Destroying my sleep and then threatening my life- two of the things I cared most about. I growled, and attempted to stomp on his instep. He simply trapped my foot with his.

"Stop that," he muttered in my ear, "when I decide to kill you, I want to do it on purpose, not because you were squirming." Bloody lovely.

"Hey! Let go of my sister!" Leave it to Carter to be the last one at his sister's future _murder site_. [Carter just accused me of being a hypocrite. I am NOT Miss Overly Dramatic, just so you know!]

Psycho Boy was so startled he dropped his sword. I ran straight into Walt's arms, and almost missed my (former) captor say the last thing I ever expected to come from his mouth. Ever.

_"Carter."_

**Again, short chapter. *ducks and hides* Sorry! Don't kill me! **

**Peace, **

**- Andi **

**Me: REVIEW OR DIE!**

**Nico: *facepalms* Great. She's threatening the readers. _Again._**


	5. Chapter 6

**I apologize in advance for the short chappie! But, to make up for it, I posted early! Kudos to FateOfChaos, who was the only one to recognize the Star Wars pun! For those of you who didn't catch it, it was acknowledged in this chapter. And for those of you who freaked out at the cliffie, well, you're gonna hate me even more now! I have a feeling that you guys who threatened to kill me (you know who you are XD) are going to even more than you did before. Major thanks to everyone who says they like my story! THERE ARE 50 REVIEWS GUYS! You have no idea how happy this makes me! **

**Me: Disclaimer?**

**Nico: *rolls eyes* No. Make Thalia do it.**

**Me: *huffs* fine. Thalia?**

**Thalia: No.**

**Me: Plea-**

**Nico & Thalia: DO IT YOURSELF! **

**Me: Fine then. I don't own PJO or TKC. No matter how much I want to. **

Chapter 5

Percy

Percy froze, and cocked his head to the side. With more stealth than he could have managed before he fell into Tartarus, he silently grabbed Riptide and stole away from the fire's revealing glare. Safely enveloped in the shadows, he paused and listened for the intruder. Percy wasn't trying to keep himself together anymore, no, now he was on the hunt. He rather looked forward to the monsters now; each presented an opportunity to forget, become someone new- someone stronger.

There was a grunt, and the sound of someone tripping just a few yards to his left. Faster than a striking snake, he leapt behind it and was about to slit its throat- when he realized his victim wasn't a monster- it was a girl.

_What?_ He thought.

"You're the bloke responsible for the disturbance in my sleep schedule!" Somewhere in the back of his mind registered she had a British accent. Another part was thinking of Star Wars. That part was mentally smacked.

"What?" Percy asked blankly.

The girl huffed. "Just let me go so I can yell at you properly."

"Nope. Not a chance." What could he say? For all he knew, she was a monster in disguise. He didn't forget the _empousa, _that's for sure.

'Let me go, Psycho Boy!" A new, foreign sound reached his ears. It was something he wasn't familiar with- and then it hit him. He was laughing. _Laughing_! He hadn't laughed in so long that the noise had become alien to him.

"Psycho Boy," he chuckled, "can't say I've been called that before. Arrogant. Annoying, upstart, crazy," _Seaweed Brain_, "but that's new."

And then Percy tensed. Something was off-

"Let her go." Ah, that was it. Someone else had joined the party. Ever since he fell into this pitch-black environment, his other senses had strengthened.

A boy who looked disturbingly like Nico stepped into the firelight.

"Let her go or I swear to all the gods I'll kill you."

Percy scoffed. "Kid, I've fought things bigger and badder than you before breakfast. Find a new threat."

"How 'bout a slow, painful, fiery death?" A girl about two years younger than Percy joined the conversation, with a fireball (Percy was reminded of Leo) dancing in her palm.

He grinned. It was nice having an adversary intelligent enough to trash-talk and exchange witty banter with. Quite refreshing. His usual assailants screamed things like, "Kill Perseus Jackson!" and "Grrrr!"

"You'll find I don't burn easy," he shot back.

"Yeah?" she challenged, "Let's find out."

The girl whose neck he was holding Riptide to tried to take advantage of Percy's (supposed) distractedness. One of the perks of being ADHD was the ability to focus on several things at once. She was reaching for something hanging at her waist. He let her get tantalizingly close, and then twisted her hand behind her back painfully.

She growled in frustration, and attempted to stomp on his instep. Percy effectively trapped her foot with his, both immobilizing her and throwing her balance off. What did this girl think she was doing? Did she want him to kill her?

"Stop that," he murmured in her ear, "when I decide to kill you, I want to do it on purpose, not because you were squirming."

And then a new voice called out.

"Hey! Let go of my sister!"

Percy was so startled he accidentally let the girl go, who ran straight into the arms of the Nico-clone. Percy _knew _this voice! It was a voice he never thought he'd hear again. Percy hadn't forgotten this voice, neither the person whom it belonged to. "You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope." He couldn't remember who said this, but it was true.

It was Carter.

**Does anyone recognize who said this quote at the end? I'll tell the first person who gets it right a spoiler for this story! (if you don't wanna know, just put it in your review/PM.) If you're a guest, then I'm sorry but I can't tell you the spoiler without telling everyone else. Sorry guys! Peace,**

**-Andi**


	6. Chapter 6- IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

The setting is blurred, like a camera out of focus. Slowly, it sharpens, and you see a beautiful garden. A few yards away, a blonde-haired girl reclines in a very comfy-looking hammock. Her sneaker-clad feet are propped up, and she wears an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt with faded jeans.

There's one of those darn cliche HELLO! MY NAME IS sticker. It used to read AndiGrantDaughterofNeptune, but it's scribbled out. In its place is Knightlark.

The girl opens one eye, revealing a golden-ochre iris.

"Oh good. You're here. I took a nap, hope you don't mind." She sits up and gestures to the nametag. "As you can see, I changed my name. Now you can call me Lark." She grins, "It was getting confusing, using my OC's name. I kept thinking I was Andi,"

Lark's form flickers for a second, her hair becoming darker and eyes turning green. "I felt like I had some multiple personality disorder or something. While Andi is a daughter of Neptune, I happen to be a daughter of Apollo. And a Ravenclaw." She flashes a smirk, and you realize it's the same one seen on the sun god himself.

Lark pauses, and holds up one finger.

"Wait, I feel a haiku coming on..." She grins at your look of horror. "Nah, just kidding."

And then she sighs. "Down to business. Sadly, I didn't call you here for a chat and chocolate." Her hand waves and a platter full of delicious fudge appears. "There are more pressing matters to discuss. See, in a matter of days I'll be flying outta here. I'll be trading this," cue gesture to the surrounding garden,"for this." Her fingers snap and the setting ripples. When it stills, you notice you're surrounded by tall trees.

Lark sighs and smacks her arm.

"Mosquitoes," she offers apologetically. "Hate the little buggers. Anyway, this means I can't update 'till the middle of August. I totally planned on updating before I left, but I procrastinated writing the chapter for about a week. The next chapter hasn't even reached the halfway mark yet."

A shield materializes and Lark crouches behind it.

"Don't kill me! If it makes you feel any better, I plan on finishing the entire story during these next two months."

When she notices you're still glaring at her, she mutters, "I guess it doesn't make you feel better." She straightens. "Well, I guess that's it. "

The scene starts to fade to black, but then snaps back.

"Wait!" Lark calls, and takes a crumpled slip of paper out of her pocket. She flattens it and she clears her throat, "I almost forgot. Thanks to everyone who guessed the quote! It was by Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. Ckies was the first to guess correctly. And Lady of the Shards, you have no idea how much it killed me to kill Nico!" Lark sniffles, "Even though he would strand me in China if he had the chance. And a great many thanks to the guest who pointed out that I did in fact have the same scene three times. I didn't even realize I did that!" She shakes get head sadly, "In an attempt to alleviate the problem, I went back and erased the sample chapter. "

Lark let's out a deep breath. "NOW I'm done. Peace! See you all in August! (Unless a miracle happens and I somehow finish the next chapter and update before I leave. ). I shall miss you all!" 


End file.
